Defying Gravity
by a beautiful misfortune
Summary: Defying gravity, Lily pushed herself. She had been so close before, that she could almost taste the victory. Then her accident. The doctors said she would never be able to do competitive gymnastics again. However they don't know Lily Potter. She wasn't going to give up on her dream of making the National team and eventually the Olympic team.


The stadium at the North Greenwich arena seemed much bigger than Lily had remembered it. She'd been to bigger stadiums at bigger meets, but this was the most important meet of her life. Butterflies began to flutter in Lily's stomach; she was so nervous she felt as if she were going to be sick. She was putting everything she had left into this meet. This meet would determine if she was going to continue and make it onto the National team and eventually go to the Olympics.

Lights were flashing everywhere, as were cameras. The muggles really went bonkers over these types of events. Lily remembered her first attempt of trying to make it onto the National team. That day still haunted her when she slept; it was a horrible nightmare that she would never be able to escape. She would deal with the reality of the situation for the rest of her life.

When she broke her back while performing her uneven bar routine for the judges, she couldn't exactly remember what happened. All Lily knew that she lay motionless on the floor when she had fallen from the high bar. She didn't feel pain, just numbness. She couldn't speak and her eyes became heavy. Her parents filled in the rest she lost her grip when she finished her release from the low bar to the high.

Lily did remember waking up in a muggle hospital; she had been taken to the emergency room. Her injuries were irreversible; the muggle doctor's had told her that she could no longer do gymnastics especially at her difficulty. Lily had been crushed; her dreams of going to the Olympics had been crushed. Her dreams were taken away from her within a split second; all it took was a silly mistake to screw up her future in the competitive sport.

After that, Lily felt she had nothing else to live for. She became heavily depressed because the one thing she loved to do more than anything was taken away from her. That and she had to wear a horrid back brace because she had broken her back from the fall. Everyone tried to cheer her up, by making jokes, making silly faces, and trying to get her involved, trying everything to get her mind off her injury and gymnastics.

It didn't work. Any of it, not their jokes, their silly faces, or trying Lily to try something new, or to get involved, it didn't matter what they did, her mind was always on gymnastics.

Lily had sacrificed a lot for the sport. Not just money, but also the experience of going to Hogwarts, gymnastics was like a full time job, it required tons of focus, hard work, and attention. Lily did her studies in the morning for a couple of hours, and then went off to a six to eight hour practice. It was tons of work, but pained off in the end when they were seeing results. Lily's gymnastics did not affect her schoolwork; Lily had gotten great marks even with the stress gymnastics brought.

Lily shook her head. Trying to repress the thoughts of what happened a little over a year ago. Her parents had found a doctor from America, willing to perform surgery, even though it wasn't one hundred percent full proof. Lily didn't care, her parents did, but she didn't. This was her dream, and she was willing to do anything to obtain it.

Finally, Harry and Ginny accepted the fact that Lily was never going to give up. They let the doctor perform the surgery, and within a couple of weeks, Lily was back on the mats, working her way up to the difficulty that she was at before her accident. Those were the worst weeks of Lily's life; she went through painful physical therapy and then training. It wasn't fun, but it was worth all the yelling, sweat, and tears. She was standing at the biggest meet in her life and she was going to make it onto the National team, nothing was going to stand in her way.

"Alright girls gather around!" Lily's coach John Geddert called the girls over into a huddle. "Now, girls, you work your asses off the past year for this meet. Show them what you show me; show them you deserve one of those places on the National team. I know you can all do it; you just have to believe in yourself. Now, go out and show the judges that you've been working for your entire lives for!" Geddert said after giving his team the pep talk they desperately needed.

Lily and her teammates nodded as they smiled at each other, and put their hands in. "The Rock," they screamed in unison as they through their hands back.

"Let's go team!" Geddert said as he began to clap. As Lily was passing him, he grabbed her shoulder, "Lily I have to speak with you for a moment."

Lily knew what this had been about, it was her injury, "What is it coach?" Lily asked innocently.

"Be careful, you know you can do this Lily. You worked too hard to get back here to just give up. You go out there and show those the gymnastic that you are. Kick some ass!" John said patting her on the back, "Now you're the first on the uneven bars, will you be alright?"

Lily nodded. "I'll be fine," she said confidently, although she wished that she were confident as she made herself sound.

John nodded unreadable expression. "If you're sure, remember how you worked so hard to get here. Don't let anyone get you down."

Lily smiled. "Thanks coach," she said as she went to chalk up. The meet was about to begin, and she was the first on bars for the Rock. Lily had begun to spread the chalk all over her hands, and then proceed to spray water on them. She was not going to admit it, but she was attempting to stall for a few moments before she had to perform her return.

"Lily, they're ready for you." Her coach informed her, "You're going to do alright, don't you worry. Just do the routine that we've been practicing for weeks."

Lily nodded as she got up to the mat and saluted the judges, before she stared at the lower bar. Lily jumped up, her hands gripping the bar, as she pulled herself up into a handstand. Lily continued with her routine, making each release was perfect like she had been working on. Lily blocked out everything as she was performing her routine for the judges. She pretended as if she was the only one in the room and everyone else was gone.

Lily was on the high bar now, one of her bigger release were coming up, as she reached the top of the bar, she released as she did a twist in the air. Lily reached her arms out as she gripped the high bar once again and continued to swing herself.

It was time to do her last big release before her dismount; Lily began to swing herself faster as she gained momentum, she rose to the high bar once again jumped over the bar with a split and reached for the low bar as she redirected her direction, and swung herself back to onto the high bar. Lily swung around the high bar two more times, before she dismounted, as she released her hands from the bar, Lily curled up into a ball as she did a summersault in the air three times with a twist before landing the dismount perfectly.

Everyone started to clap; Lily saluted off to the judges with a smile on her face. She defied gravity, she defied the doctors, and she showed everyone that she wasn't going to give up on her dream. Lily saw as her teammates gathered around her and they pulled together in a big group hug. Her coach began to clap excitedly telling her that he knew she could do it all along.

Lily was happy, as she grew excited with her teammates and friends. There was a chance that she could make it onto the National team after all.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything goes to JK Rowling and to the show Make it or Break it where I got the back injury from when Payson was injured. **

****Author's Note- I've always pictured Lily in gymnastics or dance or something besides quidditch. Whatever it may be, I liked the idea of her being a competive gymnastics. Now, this was written for the Wicked Song Challenge, and my song was Defying Gravity, by which Lily did, by doing something that she was told she would never be able to do again, something she loved. I might write a companion piece to this, saying if she made it onto the National team, but that depends on how much interest is shown on the story.

So I know I can't write gymnastics scenes very well and I'm sorry for those who are gymnasts and had to read through that or even if you aren't, I'm sorry for that being lame! I gave it my all though, so give me some credit. This is for **dancer4813** who was in charge of the challenge. I hope you like it!


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